1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage device controlling apparatus and a circuit board for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the amount of data handled by computer systems has been greatly increased. For efficient use and management of such a huge amount of data, a technology has been developed, in which a plurality of disk array apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as a storage system) and information processing apparatuses are coupled through an exclusive network (Storage Area Network; hereinafter referred to as a SAN) to implement high-speed and massive access to the storage system. In order to couple the storage system and the information processing apparatuses through the SAN for high-speed data transfer, the network is usually constructed by use of communication equipment compliant with a Fibre-Channel protocol.
Meanwhile, a network system called a NAS (Network Attached Storage) has been developed, which couples a plurality of storage systems and information processing apparatuses through a network using TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) to implement file level access to the storage systems. In the NAS, the file level access from the information processing apparatuses is allowed because the storage system is coupled to an apparatus having a file system function. Especially, a large-scale NAS is drawing attention these days, which includes a file system coupled to a storage system called a mid-range class or enterprise class, managed according to a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) method which provides an enormous storage source (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-351703).
However, a conventional NAS has been achieved by coupling information processing apparatuses having TCP/IP communication and file system functions to a storage system without TCP/IP communication and file system functions. Therefore, an installation space has been required for the information processing apparatus to be coupled. Accordingly, a floor area occupied by the NAS has been increased due to such an installation space. Therefore there has been a possibility that a data storage capacity per the installation area of the NAS may be relatively reduced. Moreover, in the conventional NAS, the information processing apparatus and the storage system are coupled through the SAN in many cases due to the necessity for high-speed communication, and thus communication controlling equipment or communication control functions for the SAN has been required.
To increase the data storage capacity per the installation area of the NAS and reduce complication of the equipment and functions related to the SAN, it is assumed to add means of implementing the TCP/IP and the file system functions onto a circuit board having an interface function with the conventional information processing apparatus in the conventional NAS. In this case, this circuit board must be a circuit board which includes a new mode of being connected to the information processing apparatuses, the storage systems, and the like. Therefore, a chassis having accommodated the conventional circuit board must be replaced with a chassis which is suitable for the aforementioned new connection mode, thus increasing costs for the NAS. In addition, renewing both the circuit board and the chassis is a large burden on users.